Feel so alone

[Sammii27]

Hi all, im 27 but when I was between the age of 14-17 I suffered badly with heavy periods to the point I missed alot of school due to constant flooding. I was referred to a gynaecologist but just got put on a contraception pill & basically sent back to my gp which one gp did suggest they think I may have pcos so i was referred for an ultrasound but due to my young age the lady at the hospital wasn't happy to do an internal so I then just got put onto the injection & finally at the age of 17 they gave me the option of the contraception implant which at that point I was just desperate for anything to take this awful heavy bleeding away... fast forward a few years & I got my second implant out but didn't suffer any periods for 2 years until last October which at first was a normal period but in December BOOM!! The heavy periods were back & since then I've suffered severe pain & just have zero energy. My gp put me onto norethisterone & I've been referred to the gynaecologist again but tbh that's been a mess I feel so depressed & alone. I was just wondering if anyone has advice on what questions to ask... sorry for the long post I'm just so lonely & down with it all

[Anonymous29]

Hey, I'm so sorry for how down you're feeling. This whole thing is so overwhelming.I've been very similar where I had very heavy and irregular periods, birth control just masked the issue and then I got my implant out 4 years ago and realised there was an actual fertility problem.

There are no right questions to ask your gynaecologist but maybe write some things down that you come up with before you go. Find out what your options are with regards to medication, fertility treatment. Do you have local support groups etc. But the main thing is that they do all the necessary tests and explain it to you. Don't put pressure on yourself to ask everything in that first appointment, give yourself time xx

[CoralCats]

Hello,

Sorry to hear what you're going through.

I went through something similar when I was a teenager. I had such heavy periods that I missed a lot of school, as I wouldn't last until each break! My periods were irregular, I was basically always on my period, to the point it ruined holidays etc. My mum took me to our GP but they just put me on the pill without carrying out any tests. I've been on the pill ever since and stopped to try to conceive.

I still have irregular periods, they're between 26-42 days and heavy for 10 days but it's not as bad as it was when I was a teenager. I also found that sanitary towels rather than tampons and the brand TOTM helps shorten my period, I don't know why but it must be to do with the natural materials as others have said the same too!

As we were unable to conceive I got referred to a gyneacologist and diagnosed with PCOS, which I suspected I had since a teenager but the pill masked the symptoms.

I'd recommend getting checked for PCOS just in case, as other medication may help for PCOS.

All the best xx

[Sammii27]

Thank you for both of your advice, I've an appointment in the next few weeks for a pelvic & internal ultrasound (don't remember the name for the internal). I just want the pain to stop to be honest its just so unbearable 💔. I will make sure to note things that I'm worried about to ask the gynaecologist. And I refuse to give up until I have the answers I need xx

[Fruitchicken]

Sorry to hear you’re having such a horrible time. Just wanted to say that it might be worth checking out the NICE guidelines about PCOS diagnosis, which say that if you had a scan in your adolescence it should be repeated 8 years after the onset of your periods to give a definitive result. cks.nice.org.uk/topics/poly...

Extract:

“Adolescents who have features of PCOS but do not meet the diagnostic criteria should be considered to be at 'increased risk' of PCOS and reassessed at or before full reproductive maturity (that is, 8 years post-menarche). This includes those with PCOS features before combined oral contraceptive pill commencement, those with persisting features, and those with significant weight gain in adolescence.”

It doesn’t sound as if this has been done for you so hopefully it will be now. If not, quote the guidelines at them, they should at least be following them.

Best of luck.

[Sammii27 in reply to Fruitchicken]

Thank you so much I'll be sure to check them guidelines out x